Excelsior Christkindlsmarkt downtown trolley
courtesy of Excelsior Christkindlsmarkt
11/24-26
Holidazzle is dead; long live Holidazzle—in its relatively new form as a European-style market. Has the open-air Loring Park bazaar replaced the soul of the original Minneapolis parade (also the soul of an adult dressed as a giant holiday lightbulb tripping down Nicollet Mall)? Online reviews of the event have said: It’s expensive and muddy. More tried and tested, the 11-year-old holiday market in Excelsior also emulates Dresden’s 700-year-old fest (“Christkindlsmarkt,” German for “Christmas market”). It bears the obligatory trappings of golden-windowed comfort: roasted almonds, strudels, gluehwein—a warm, mulled red, spiced and sweetened. Delude yourself into thinking your screen-addicted kids will play with wooden toys sold in cute tents, then impulse-buy an alpaca sweater you’ll love while riding the downtown trolley—and blush at thereafter. excelsiorchristkindlsmarkt.com